FEM-ABLE
Cyprus
Good practices on implementation of gender equality strategies
LIVE PODCAST
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
LIVE PODCAST
- DESCRIPTION
- IMPLEMENTATION STEPS/METHOD
- IMPACT ACHIEVED
- STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
- RESOURCES REQUIRED
- CHALLENGES FACED
- LESSONS LEARNED
- POTENTIAL FOR REPLICATION
A podcast recording with a live audience is an interactive event, taking both the form of an interactive workshop and an informative seminar, where a podcast episode is recorded in front of an in-person audience. This format allows for real-time engagement, with audience members able to ask questions, contribute to discussions and react to the conversation as it unfolds. It creates a dynamic atmosphere, blending the intimacy of a podcast with the energy of live interaction, often resulting in spontaneous, insightful contributions from both speakers and attendees.
Contact key speakers: Determine the specific topics of the podcast and identify potential speakers who are knowledgeable and engaging on those subjects.
Set the Date: Choose an appropriate date for the live podcast recording, ensuring it aligns with the availability of key speakers and participants.
Recording Studio: Secure a recording studio equipped with the necessary audio and visual equipment to ensure high-quality production. Verify that the space accommodates both the speakers and the live audience.
Event dissemination and communication: Create relevant visuals, promote the event in social media, send direct invitations to key stakeholders, speakers and potential audience members. Clearly outline the podcast’s theme, purpose and details on how to participate, including the date, time, location, duration and what a live podcast can offer. Highlight the importance of audience participation and encourage attendees to submit questions during the podcast.
Preparation: Coordinate with speakers to prepare content and discussion points. Share questions with speakers in advance for preparation. Keep communication flowing, making sure that all speakers are aligned with the topics and the expectations of the event.
Live Recording: Conduct the live podcast, engaging with both speakers and the audience. Facilitate discussions and manage audience interactions to maintain a dynamic and inclusive atmosphere.
Post-Event Follow-Up: After the recording, send thank-you notes to participants and audience members. Share the recorded podcast through appropriate platforms, ensuring it reaches a wider audience.
Feedback Collection: Gather feedback from participants and listeners to evaluate the podcast’s success and areas for improvement, informing future events.
- The involvement of the speakers helped raise awareness of the barriers women face in politics, via real life examples shared in a non-formal and specific thematic oriented discussion, ultimately promoting a collective commitment to advancing women’s rights and representation in the political sphere and strengthening community awareness.
- By addressing pressing issues related to women’s representation in politics, the live podcast fostered meaningful discussions among the audience, encouraging active participation and a deeper and straight-forward understanding of the importance of gender equality in political decision-making, regardless of political affiliation representations.
- The podcast provided a platform for MEP women candidates to share their experiences, challenges and successes in the political arena, inspiring and empowering listeners—especially women—for engagement.
Political figures, MEP women candidates, university and research department representatives, NGOs, Independent research and education centres, organisations promoting diversity, equality and inclusion, education bodies, activists, former parliamentary candidates
- Recording studio with space for live audience
- Well prepared facilitators
Overall, striking a balance was vital to maintaining a dynamic and interactive environment throughout the event; Time management posed a significant challenge during the initiative, as it was essential to balance the recording process with audience contributions and engagement. Ensuring that all topics were adequately covered while allowing sufficient time for discussion and audience involvement required careful planning. Additionally, effective facilitation was crucial in guiding the conversation and posing targeted questions that would foster deeper dialogue among participants.
The effectiveness of creating an informal yet informative event, can result to greater impact. Recording the discussions allowed participants to access the content at any time, reinforcing the value of the insights shared. It was important to verify the recording process to ensure quality and accessibility. The interactive nature of the event provided a unique opportunity for attendees to learn from key figures in a more private setting, fostering connections that might not occur in traditional formal discussions.
The live podcast recording on a specific thematic area allows attendees from diverse backgrounds to access a wealth of information in a single session. The inclusive nature of the discussion (open discussion) allows for a comprehensive understanding of the topic, which can be adapted and implemented in similar contexts to engage a broader audience and promote knowledge sharing. The approach is flexible and can be customised to fit various professional and cultural settings, making it appropriate for a wide range of applications.
SOCIAL EXPERIMENT
- DESCRIPTION
- IMPLEMENTATION STEPS/METHOD
- IMPACT ACHIEVED
- STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED
- RESOURCES REQUIRED
- CHALLENGES FACED
- LESSONS LEARNED
- POTENTIAL FOR REPLICATION
A social experiment on gender stereotypes is an interactive activity aimed at challenging preconceived notions about gender roles and expectations. Participants are presented with real-life identities or figures and asked to match biographical information based solely on physical characteristics. This setup encourages participants to confront their initial judgments. Audience contributions reveal unconscious biases and the broader impact of societal stereotypes. The goal is to prompt participants to think critically before making assumptions, fostering awareness and reflection. Through this experiment, participants can better understand the influence of gender norms on everyday life and the importance of promoting equality within the social, political and business world.
Identification of IDs and Explanation of the Experiment: Select diverse real-life identities or figures, ensuring in elevating key social aspects depending on what is desired to be achieved in the social experiment on gender stereotypes. Present a combination of identities and back and backgrounds to represent various stereotypes. Prepare a clear explanation of the social experiment, outlining its purpose and how it will challenge participants’ perceptions of gender roles.
Agreement of Participation: Reach out to individuals whose identities will be used in the experiment, seeking their consent and explaining how their information will be utilised. Ensure they are comfortable with their participation and the context of the experiment.
Bios Collection: Gather biographical information for each identity. This information should be kept confidential until revealed in the experiment.
Instructions on Physical Appearance and Event Attendance: Provide guidelines on how the identities will present themselves during the event. This may include specific clothing, accessories or behaviours to help embody their roles. Ensure that the identities understand their roles in the event and how they will interact with the audience (eg. no verbal interaction with the audience).
Material Hand Over to IDs: Prepare and distribute supporting tools to the different IDs (eg. boars and pins) for the audience to pin a piece of information based on their guessing.
Distribution of Material to Audience: At the event, read or provide audience members with materials outlining the experiment’s structure, rules and instructions for participation. This should include how they will guess, and match identities based on physical characteristics. Distribute biographical pieces of information to the audience.
Guess and Match Activity: Invite audience members to engage in the guessing game by matching the physical appearances of the identities to the corresponding bios without prior knowledge of the actual identities. Participants should focus on their perceptions and assumptions based solely on what they see.
Reveal Correct Information for the Identities: After the guessing activity, reveal the correct biographical information for each identity. Facilitate a discussion on the results, encouraging participants to reflect on their assumptions, biases and the influence of societal stereotypes on their judgments.
Debrief and Discussion: Conclude the experiment with a group discussion allowing participants to share their thoughts, insights and feelings about the experience. This reflection can deepen the understanding of gender norms and the importance of promoting equality.
- Participants become aware of the various barriers women encounter in accessing the political arena, including those influenced by intersectional factors and double standards that often hinder their progress.
- They gain insight into the interconnectedness of priority areas for intervention, illuminating the structural nature of segregation and how different identities can compound the challenges faced by women in politics.
- The social experiment enhanced awareness of biases, by effectively illuminating participants’ unconscious biases and stereotypes and encouraging them to critically reflect on their initial judgments and assumptions regarding gender roles and expectations.
Women in managerial positions and leaders, women organisations supporting women empowerment, Local female entrepreneurs, the corporate and business world, Directors, founders and Co-founders of businesses
- Real-life identities or figures, along with accompanying biographical information to facilitate the matching activity.
- Resources and materials including boards and pins or digital platforms for displaying information and capturing audience responses, as well as instructions and guidelines for participants to follow during the experiment.
- Facilitators and volunteers for guiding the activity and facilitating the audience, ensure a safe and respectful environment for all participants.
Finding and securing a diverse and representative identities was crucial to ensure varied perspectives, requiring a well thought research and communication with the potential participants. It was important for the audience to grasp the purpose and potential impact of the experiment, which required clear communication and engagement strategies. Time constraints also posed a challenge, as conducting the experiment within a limited timeframe made it difficult to facilitate timely discussions. Ensuring the accuracy of the information presented and effectively conveying the intended message of the social experiment was essential, requiring thorough preparation and a thoughtful approach to the facilitation of the activity.
Live social experiments emphasise the potential for meaningful dialogue to challenge societal norms and foster greater awareness and inclusivity. The social experiments highlight the importance of engaging the public actively to convey messages effectively. By involving participants in discussions, they were encouraged to reflect on their unconscious biases, prejudices and stereotypes. This engagement also acted as a mean for deeper understanding on unconscious bias and stereotypes but also prompted participants to critically assess their perceptions and assumptions about gender roles.
The potential for replicating live social experiments lies in their adaptability and accessibility across various contexts and audiences. These experiments can be implemented in different settings, allowing diverse participants to engage in discussions about social norms and biases. They enable individuals to collaboratively explore complex issues, making it easier to replicate the format and objectives in future initiatives aimed at fostering awareness and inclusivity. By facilitating a social experiment, a platform for interactive dialogue is automatically created, as the message is conveyed clearly and straightforwardly. Social experiments simplify complex issues, ultimately leading to increased awareness and inclusivity.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.